Mitya, Nastya, and Alyosha
by theoldfashiongirl
Summary: Never in his wildest dreams did he see himself working for the Tsar, much less becoming close friends with his children - especially the two youngest Romanov's.


**Hello everyone! First of all, I would like to say that I was inspired by LucyCrewe11's story** _ **White Faberge Lilies**_ **and JusttMee123's** _Run To You_ **. The rest of it is my own crazy imagination. I will try to be historically correct as possible but please forgive me if I deviate a little. Well, enjoy!**

* * *

Part I: Early Friendship (1909-1910)

Chapter 1: The Orphanage and Palace

January 1909

"Barinov!"

"Here!" Dmitry tumbled out of his bunk just in time for inspection.

"Chzov!"

"Here!"

"You barely made it in time," Viktor (who had been next in the roll call) whispered over to the smirking Dmitry, "What were you doing?"

"You'll see."

"Is it for your," he coughed, "situation with Anatole?"

"You bet."

"Alright you good for nothings!" Master Fedyushhyna yelled, "In three days the Tsar and Tsarina are going to visit!"

There was a murmur from the boys that was silenced by Fedyushhyna's cold glare.

"They also said that they might bring one boy home with them," he continued, "Not to be on the same level as the Grand Duchesses and Tsarevich, but as a member of their household. So I expect you all to be on your best behavior! Or else they'll go to another orphanage you _nizkaya zhizn'_."

Dmitry felt the familiar feeling in his chest and squashed it. Everytime word came that someone was coming to the orphanage, the feeling of hope came to him. And everytime they choose someone else, he would have to fight off the tears that came even though he had been determined not to cry.

Well, he was better off than some of the other boys, having only been here for two years. Viktor had come to the orphanage when he was three.

"Dmitry?" he looked up to see Viktor waiting for him, "If you don't come the only pieces of bread left will be the end pieces!"

Dmitry grinned, throwing off his gloomy mood.

* * *

"You see, Baby?" Maria lined the dominoes in front of her brother. Anastasia had been playing at one end of the line with a pile of her own dominoes, but she looked up at that moment. The temptation being too great, she pushed one over and looked away demurely as the rest of the dominoes fell over.

"Nastya!" Maria protested. Anastasia stuck her tongue out.

Olga, who had been reading by the fire, asked, "What did she do this time?"

Maria, not wanting to betray her sister, said nothing so Olga guessed.

"She pushed your dominos over, right?" she said. Sighing, she put her book down. "Did you like that, Alyosha?"

Alexei nodded and said, "Yes!"

"Where's Tatiana?"

"She's with Mama," Anastasia answered.

"Very well, we'll have to do this without her."

"What are we going to do? Why aren't we going to wait for Tatiana? Why-"

"Stop asking so many questions, Malenkaya," Olga stopped her, "We're going to make a big domino line for Alexei to push over."

The two younger girls, nicknamed the Little Pair, clapped their hands in delight and Alexei smiled in anticipation. They all sat on the floor, creating a large black line. Tatiana returned a few minutes later and joined in on the fun.

One of the Tsarina's ladies-in-waiting came to fetch Olga, but went to go get their mother when she saw how they were playing. They watched unobserved from the door, smiling at how the children were determined to line up all the dominos, and how Anastasia appeared determined not to let that happen.

As they crept away, Alexandra whispered, "It's moments like this that I live for."

* * *

"Are you polishing your shoes _again_?" Viktor's voice was muffled by his pillow.

"Maybe?" Dmitry looked up from where he was sitting with a dirty rag (which really wasn't doing anything more than the opposite of polishing) and his shoes, "Usually I polish them three times when someone comes, but this is the Tsar! So I'm going to polish them ten times each day." He hesitated. "Do you think I have a chance of being chosen?"

"If we believe Fedyushhyna we're all _nizkaya zhizn'_ and we'll be turned out of here as soon as we're eighteen."

Dmitry groaned and threw the rag down. "It is hopeless, isn't it?"

Viktor turned over and swatted his friend's head.

"Not 'hopeless'," he said, "Well, not exactly. Highly improbable but just don't get your hopes up. You're the worst with that whole hope thing, you know?"

"I tell myself everytime not to expect anything but I do. How come you've resigned yourself to it?"

Viktor shrugged. "I've been here longer, maybe I'm used to it. You've been here, what? Three years?"

"Two."

"You see? You're still a _prishelets_."

"So that makes you a _pozhiloj chelovek_?"

"In orphanage terms, yes."

Dmitry snorted. "Let's just not think of it. Find something else to divert our minds from it."

"Like what? Tomorrow's breakfast? Wait, there isn't any breakfast to think of, plan failed."

"When did you become such a pessimist?"

"Oh be quiet, Dmitry Andreevich Barinov."

"Sure, Viktor Ivanovich Chzov."

Dmitry grinned to himself at the joke. The two boys had heard another boy say how his mother had called him by his full name whenever she was very angry. Since neither boy remembered his mother, they called each other by their full names whenever they were slightly angry with each other.

* * *

Anastasia's teeth chattered as she dressed quickly. Maria, who had already taken her bath, was making her bed.

"Oh," Anastasia moaned, "I don't know why Papa wants us to take cold baths every morning!"

"He's says it's good for us."

"But not in the winter! I'm going to ask for a hot bath on my birthday!"

"Nastas, your birthday is in the summer. You'll be asking for cold baths then!"

"Then for Christmas!"

"Which just happened."

Anastasia gave a muffled scream. "Well then whenever I can!"

"Do you need help brushing out your hair?" the ever gentle Maria asked. Anastasia, who was still shivering with her dripping hair, nodded.

The courtiers often wondered how Anastasia and Maria were so close. They were polar opposites. Olga and Tatiana were a bit more similar, so that was understandable, but not the Little Pair. Whenever Anastasia played pranks, Maria was there to clean up the ruins. Maria could be like her sisters sometimes (everyone has a temper), but it might have been impossible for Anastasia to be like Maria.

"Sometimes," Anastasia looked out the window as her sister brushed her hair, "Don't you wish we had someone else to play with?"

"But we have each other."

"Oh, I know. But sometimes I want to play with someone who's not my sisters or brother."

"What about our cousins? You liked playing with them when they were here."

"But they left! I meant someone who is here all the time and isn't part of our family! Mama never lets us play with the other children."

"Maybe you could ask Mama," suggested Maria. Anastasia sighed, already knowing the answer.

"Maria Nikolaevna, Anastasia Nikolaevna," one of the Tsarina's ladies-in-waiting entered the Little Pair's room.

"Yes, Anna?" Maria finished brushing Anastasia's hair.

"Your parents would like to speak with you."

As they walked towards Alexandra's Mauve Room, Anastasia whispered to Maria, "You don't think we're in trouble? Do you?"

"We could be."

"Do you think this is about the stroganov incident?"

"The what incident!" the was slightly above a whisper and Anna turned to look at the two girls. Anastasia elbowed Maria.

"Nothing," Anastasia stared ahead for a second before whipping her head to look at her sister, "It was almost an accident! But I can talk my way out of it!"

When they got there, the Big Pair, Alexei, and their parents were already there. The rest of their siblings probably didn't know the reason of them being called to see their parents and had uneasy looks on their faces (except Alexei, who playing with one of his tin soldiers). Or maybe they did know. Maybe it was about the stroganov incident!

Feeling guilt ridden for maybe the first time in her life (she thought that her siblings were being punished for her actions), Anastasia began to speak, "The stroganov incident was my fault! Tatya really didn't know when she-"

"Nastya," Nicholas stopped here, "This isn't about what you did."

"What stroganov incident?" her mother asked, suddenly suspicious.

"Uh, nothing!" Anastasia gave an innocent smile.

"Why did you call us, Papa?" Olga asked.

"Your mother and I wanted to tell you that we're going to bring a boy back from the orphanage to be Alexei's companion."

* * *

 ** _nizkaya zhizn' = low life_**

 ** _prishelets = newcomer_**

 ** _pozhiloj chelovek= old man_**


End file.
